Understanding Psychological Disorders: Causes, Diagnosis, and Prevalence, Study notes of Psychology

Download Understanding Psychological Disorders: Causes, Diagnosis, and Prevalence and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Mental illnesses are not the result of a personal  weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Psychological disorders can affect persons of any age, race, sex, religion, or income. (Pre-lecture Instructor’s Guide) Why should | care? ¢ Because understanding of mental health issues brings awareness to the community and our surrounding ¢ We will become a society that is accepting of others who do not fit our idea of a perfect population. Availability Heuristic • We make a judgment based on what we can  remember, rather than complete data. In particular,  we use this for judging the frequency or likelihood of  events. Various factors can affect availability.  • MORE NAMES FOR MEN • FEMALE NAMES WERE MORE CURRENT • High profile or stereotypic views of persons  with mental illness are often the EXCEPTION,  not the rule. Defining Normal and Abnormal • A Psychological Disorder is a condition in  which a person’s thoughts, feelings, or  behavior is judged to be  . – Three criteria  • The person experiences significant pain or  distress. • Their behavior deviates from acceptable  behaviors for that society. • Their everyday behavior is maladaptive. Psychological Disorders:  4 Models of Abnormality • Model – Mental disorders are caused by biology and can  be treated medically – Historical: Hippocrates’ (460 BC) four humors  (Imbalances of bodily fluids) – Yellow bile, Phlegm, Blood & Black bile. – Modern: Brain treatment • drugs, brain surgery, etc. Common Psychological Disorders Disorder Frequency Male: Female Substance abuse 5% More common for men Anxiety disorders 19% About 2:3 disorders 7-18% About 1:2 Antisocial personality 1-3% More men than women Schizophrenia < 1% Psychological Disorders: Diagnosis • Diagnosis – The process of identifying and grouping mental disorders  with similar symptoms • . – Acronym for the American Psychiatric Association’s  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th  Edition) – Originally 1952 with 60 disorders – today 410 – Beware medical students’ syndrome (availability heuristic) Five Axes • Axis I – Clinical Syndromes • Axis II – Disorders or Mental  Retardation • Axis III – General Medical Conditions • Axis IV – Psychosocial and Environmental  Problems • Axis V – Global Assessment of Functioning Anxiety 3:  disorders • Fear of… – Agoraphobia – open spaces – Social phobia – other people – Specific phobias – fear of snakes, spiders, darkness,  heights, etc. • Learned via classical conditioning or vicarious  conditioning • Biological basis – more likely to fear snakes  than cars Anxiety Disorders Frequency of the Most Prevalent Simple Phobias Simple Bugs, mice Phobia: An snakes, bats intense, Heights irrational fear Water of a specific object or Storms situation. Closed places 5 10 15 20 Percentage reporting omen Severe sommes Not Severe (a) Classical conditioning: Acquisition of phobic fear (b) Operant conditioning: Maintenance of phobic fear (negative reinforcement) ® 2007 Thomson Higher Education Figure 13.4 Conditioning as an explanation for phobias Anxiety Disorders * However, only those with social phobia reported feeling more anxious. Self-Reported Anxiety Phobias II 70 60 50 40 30 20 Baseline Anticipation Speech em Phobics === Controls Anxiety Disorders  Influences • Three findings from cross‐cultural  comparisons are: – Anxiety is universal and is exhibited by the  same bodily reactions. – Culture influences the cognitive component of  anxiety, i.e., what people worry about and  their beliefs about the causes of it. – Treatment needs to acknowledge cultural  diversity. Disorders Somatization Disorder Conversion Disorder Hypochondriasis Etiology of somatoform disorders — Cognitive factors — Personality factors — The sick role What is ? Depression is a medical issue that affects a persons mood to be down, blue and/or fed up. Depression is the most common mood disorder, affecting approximately 20 million people each year. Signs and  of  Depression • Persistent sad, anxious or  empty mood • Sleeping too much or too  little; odd time of waking • Reduced or increased  appetite which results in  weight gain or loss. • Irritability or restlessness Fatigue or loss of energy Thoughts of death or suicide, including suicide attempts Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions Triggers Evidence that some people have a genetic predisposition  to major depression, but not everyone with a family  history develops depression. Some life event that may trigger episodes of depression: • Death of a  one • Major loss or change • Chronic stress • Alcohol and drug abuse • Heart disease and cancer • medications Mood Disorders  Styles and Depression • Explanatory styles  among first‐year college  students • Two years later, those  with a negative style  (tendency to attribute  negative events to  factors that are internal,  stable, and global) were  more likely to experience  depression. Mood Disorders The Vicious of Depression ¢ Depression can lead to behaviors that cause social rejection, which worsens depression. eo» =" Learning Objective 6 Mood Disorders  &  . • Roughly one million people worldwide  commit suicide each year. • Women are three times more likely to  attempt suicide but men are four times more  successful. • About 75% of suicides are committed by  people who suffered from depression. • The single best predictor is a sense of  hopelessness. Depression: Bipolar Disorder • Formerly known as  Disorder • One or more manic episodes followed by  depression • Mania: mood elevated to point of euphoria – Not as fun as it sounds – Can’t sleep & need to get lots of things done • Affects 1‐2% of population, both genders equally • Cyclothymic disorder – Bipolar disorder with chronic but relatively mild  symptoms What Causes Mania? The Symptoms of Schizophrenia • Incoherent Thinking – word salad • . – False beliefs • influence, e.g. thoughts broadcast in public • grandeur, e.g., President, King, etc. • persecution • Hallucinations – Sensory experiences that occur in the absence of  actual stimulation • auditory ‐ voices Types of Schizophrenia • Symptoms – cognitive, emotional, and behavioral excesses. – hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, and bizarre  behaviors. – better prognosis • Negative symptoms – cognitive, emotional, and behavioral deficits. – apathy, flattened affect, social withdrawal, inattention,  and slowed speech or no speech. – worse prognosis What Causes  ? There is no one cause to this complex  and puzzling illness, but it is believed  that some combination of genetic,  biological (virus, bacteria, or an  infection) and environmental factors  play a major role. There is currently no reliable way to  predict whether a person will  develop the disease. John Nash, a famous Schizophrenic. His life story made into a film, A Beautiful Mind. Prenatal viral infection Prenatal malnutrition Obstetrical complications Other brain insults © 2007 Thomson Higher Education Figure 13.15 The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia Relationships and Schizophrenia • The risk of  developing   schizophrenia in  one’s lifetime  increases as the  genetic  relatedness to a  person  with  schizophrenia  increases. • Why isn't risk for  identical twins =  100? Why is it 2%  for a spouse? treatment, with the right combination of medications and/or therapy, can help stabilize the moods that interfere with a productive life. Environmental Fit & Recovery ¢ We may operate on a continuum of mental health, and adaptive functioning is related to the “fit” between a person's resources and the demands of the environment. . Zone of proximal development e occurs through —_—_—_—_—_—_—_— Anxiety What the learner will knowing other’ Level of challenge What the leamer can currently What the learner can achieve with Lovel of competence